Sunday afternoon with a combined effort from Jeanette and Russell we completed the 2.5 hour drive into the busy city of Bordeaux ( still undergoing major roadworks which almost caused us to miss our flight in 2015) and parked in Bordeaux-Merignac airport. Our timing was perfect as we literally ran into the three girls as they were walking out to meet us.
New acquaintances were made, old friendships rekindled and stories shared from all of our experiences on holidays thus far on the long drive back to Monpazier.
After the girls had chosen a bedroom each, had the grand tour and unpacked, Russell cooked a barbie and we proceeded to get further acquainted over several bottles of local wine as we discussed plans for the upcoming week.
Not wanting to waste a minute but faced with a forecast of 38C, the next day we started slowly – lunch at stunning La Roque Gageac before visiting the nearby Marqueyssac Gardens.
The residence at Marqueyssac, in its current form, was built in the 1800s and inherited in 1861 by Julien de Cerval who was a passionate gardener and dedicated thirty years of his life to beautifying the grounds. He planted the tens of thousands of box woods which give the gardens the classic green appearance and was also interested in Italian culture so adopted aspects of Italian design as well. Unfortunately it was just too hot to fully explore the extensive acres and we found ourselves convening at the cafe with its cooling 'misters' after viewing the highlights. Personally, I enjoyed the gardens of Eyrignac (visited in 2008,) a little more I think but it was still absolutely worth the 8 euro entrance fee.
We were in no fit state to do anything but fall into the pool on our return, except drink more wine of course!
With Tuesday forecast to be even hotter, we decided the only thing to do was hit the water. Armed with picnic baguettes and fruits rouge we drove back to La Roque Gageac and made what was for some of us, a canoeing debut.
It was a popular pastime on this sweltering day and the river was a spectacle of coloured canoes and kayaks, ringing with laughter, shrieks and singing as we gently floated downstream under ancient bridges and past stunning château.
The baguettes tasted like a banquet when we pulled over to a shady spot for lunch and a paddle before resuming the 9km journey downstream to the point where we would be transported by bus back to the start.
I think it was a unanimous decision that we had made the best decision given the weather today.
Dinner was back in Monpazier village where we had a beautiful three course meal for a very reasonable 29 euros and discussed the highlights of the day which included Yvie's burgeoning canoeing skills.
The latest on the weather outlook indicated that the end of the week included potential thunderstorms and increasing cloud and so after consultation with le montgolfiere ( the hot air balloonist) it was decided that tomorrow morning would be optimal conditions, unfortunately meaning Fiona (not arriving until Wednesday night), would miss out.
The rendezvous point was at Beynac at 0630 so the three of us who were taking to the skies had a relatively early night and set the alarm for the first time in a couple of weeks.